Politics
“We want to build bridges, not walls”, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said at a press conference before the start of the G7 Summit in Taormina today. “We will stand up here for our shared values of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights”, he remarked, adding that “we do believe as Europeans in open societies and we are always seeking multilateral solutions”. Mr Juncker stressed that although “45% of Europeans think that globalisation is a threat”, it is actually “an opportunity if dealt with in a proper way”. However, we “have to understand those” who do not share our views. He recalled that around a third of the EU’s GDP comes from trade with the rest of the world and that for every billion we get in exports, 14,000 extra jobs are created. The EC President underlined that today “more people are working than ever before” in Europe with “233 million people having a job”. Mr Juncker also stressed that this year and in 2018, the EU’s GDP is expected to grow on average by 1.9%, and that thanks to the global trade, the EU deficit has decreased from over 6% in 2010-2011 to the current level of 1.2-1.6%. He also praised Greece that is now back “on track” and is no longer a source of concern.
